Easier Said Than Done
(Ephesians 4: 25-5:2)
As I’ve mentioned in previous sermons, my time as your Jefferson County Drug Court Prosecutor was probably one of the most impactful and rewarding jobs of my career in the law beginning as a police officer and then transitioning to an attorney who not only represented people accused of breaking the law, but also prosecuting them. What was great about Drug Court was that through the power of prosecution we could offer them a way out through rehabilitation, showing them that there was a better life ahead if they just put the work in. I enjoyed our weekly sessions where the participants would sit around the table and share how their week was going. Invariably, a new participant would try to put a spin on something that had occurred and one or more of the other participants would call him or her on it as they had also tried to spin something similar before they finally embraced the work it was going to take to achieve their sobriety. And I really enjoyed those moments when a participant would refer to what they would have done when living their old life that was focused on seeking more and more drugs. They were coming to the realization that there was a new and better life out there if they just put the work in, changed their behavior, knowing that it would be easier said than done. It would take work, faith, and commitment.
And it’s embracing the new life and not looking back that the Apostle Paul is writing about in our scripture reading for this morning. In his letter to the churches in Ephesus he’s been walking the believers through what it means to be a devoted follower of Jesus Christ, a disciple of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. He had just finished saying that the old way of life before they believed in Christ is now completely in the past and that they should put it behind them like old clothes to be thrown away. He’s telling them, and us, that this is both a once-for-all decision when the decision is made to accept Christ’s gift of salvation and also a daily conscious commitment. He’s telling us that we are not to be driven by desire and impulse. We must put on a new robe, a new set of clothing, head in the new direction, and embrace the new way of thinking that the Holy Spirit has given us.
The Apostle continues by stating: Therefore, after you have gotten rid of lying, each of you must tell the truth to your neighbor because we are parts of each other in the same body. Let that sink in for a minute. Getting rid of lying should be a no-brainer but as my sister-in-law is fond of saying about some people; “they’d rather climb a tree and lie, than stand on the ground and tell the truth.” Lying takes work because you have to remember who you told what lie to, when sticking to the truth would be so much easier. I used to tell my clients that they would never catch me in a lie because I would not lie to them, I would be truthful no matter how bad the news might be about their case. But being truthful with your neighbor is much more difficult because sometimes the truth hurts, and we don’t want to be the bearer of bad news, and we certainly don’t want to be the messenger that gets killed. But Paul is talking about our Christian neighbors here as he references all being part of the same body. Still, that’s a tough ask, one that is easier said than done, but done it must be. He says you can be angry without sinning, as in lashing out, striking back, getting even, and not to let the sun set on your anger. Again, another difficult one as anger is a natural human response to being wronged in one way or another. And, more often than not, we internalize our anger, stew over it, let it percolate and fester to the point that it escalates out of control. Paul’s telling us that it is best to address the grievance as soon as feasibly possible. You can still be angry; just don’t do something you’ll regret later. I told someone last week that the most important key on our keyboards is the delete key. Some things are best left unsaid. When he says not to provide an opportunity for the devil this is exactly what he is talking about, dividing and disrupting our unity in Christ as a fellowship of believers who are intent on doing good. Lying to each other, especially in the context of the church, disrupts unity by creating conflicts and destroying trust. It tears down relationships and leads to open warfare in the church. If you’ve never experienced a church split, even a small one, consider yourself lucky. It’s the kind of thing that keeps pastors awake at night.
Paul then says something that, to me, doesn’t seem to fit with the theme he is pursuing. He says: Thieves should no longer steal. Instead, they should go to work, using their hands to do good so that they will have something to share with whoever is in need. The issue of thievery seemed out of place but then I thought of my Drug Court participants. They weren’t violent people but, to support their drug-seeking old life they would steal anything that was not nailed down and it didn’t matter to them who they stole from. But by giving up the old life and embracing the new life they got jobs and used their hands to do good so that they might one day have something to share, something to give back to society. I have several drug court children who are doing just that and I couldn’t be prouder of them.
Paul continues by saying: Don’t let any foul words come out of your mouth. Only say what is helpful when it is needed for building up the community so that it benefits those who hear what you say. He’s telling some of us, present company included, that we have to clean up our act. Watch what we say and remember that it is okay to have an unspoken thought. If you’ve got nothing good or constructive to say, remain silent and be thought the fool rather than speak and remove all doubt. He’s reminding us, especially those of us who openly profess our Christianity, not to do or say anything that would make the Holy Spirit of God unhappy as we were sealed by him for the day of redemption. God understands our humanness and that we will fall short of his glory from time to time. He won’t lock us out of heaven, but what concerns him is that our actions may cause a spirit seeker to rethink coming to Him in their time of need. This is why the Apostle says: Put aside all bitterness, losing your temper, anger, shouting, and slander, along with every other evil. Be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to each other, in the same way God forgave you in Christ. No good can come from un-Christlike behavior. Remember how your transgressions were forgiven and not punished by Christ and do the same for others, no questions asked, and no strings attached.
Paul closes out this portion of the letter by reminding us to imitate God like dearly loved children, to live your life with love, following the example of Christ, who loved us and gave himself for us. Christ’s great love for us led him to sacrifice himself so that we might live, really live. Our love for others should be of the same kind—a love that goes beyond affection to self-sacrificing service.
It goes without saying that we are living in angry times and loving our neighbors is often easier said than done. The bitterness, the lost tempers, the anger, the shouting, and the slander seem to have reached epic proportions. The voice of calm and reason is shouted down, mocked, ridiculed, and accused of being weak. We dread running into old friends whose views we know are not ours. Family get togethers are ticking time bombs waiting for the conversations to turn to whatever the political hot topic is at the moment. Dark forces are hard at work spreading false and misleading information on the internet that is designed to divide us and weaken us as a people, a people who should stand strong against anything that harms a neighbor, even if they don’t look like us, speak like us, love like us, think like us, vote like us, or pray like us. These divisive behaviors, especially among believers, that grieve the Holy Spirit not only must be avoided, but they must also be stopped and held in check. They must be called out for what they are as each of us must tell the truth to our neighbor in love and sincerity because we are parts of each other in the same body. As a community of believers there are some things we should be angry about, issues like hunger, poverty, homelessness, inequality, racism, discrimination, injustice, oppression, war, and the like. It’s how we deal with that anger that matters. Do we allow it to drag us down and consume us or do we rise up and do something about it with kindness, love, compassion, and forgiveness in the same way God has dealt with us when we were at our worst? I know, it is easier said than done, but nothing is going to change until we speak out and do something in the name of Jesus Christ. We must be the somebodies who do something.
Let us pray.
Gracious and loving Lord, how grateful we are for the peace we have in you that flows like a river, a river that refreshes us when we need to be uplifted. We praise you for the joy we experience in being your servants, servants who gladly do your work and your will, a joy that overflows like a fountain drawing people close. And we are blessed with the love of Jesus Christ that is as great and as deep as an ocean, a love that knows no depth. Move us by your Spirit to do the hard things that are easier said than done because we know that if we don’t do them in Jesus’ name, they won’t get done and your creation will be the worse for it. This we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.